Morning rush-hour at the bridge was jammed the week of Sept. 9, 2013 after three access lanes were merged into one.

NEW YORK — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official who put a stop to the George Washington Bridge lane closures last fall says he’s proud of his actions.

Executive director Patrick Foye made his remarks at a question-and-answer session Thursday hosted by the New York Observer.

The September lane closures caused massive traffic backups. It engulfed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s administration in scandal after it was revealed an aide ordered the closures, apparently for political retribution. The U.S. attorney’s office is investigating.

In an email released later as part of a legislative investigation, Foye wrote that he wasn’t initially told about the closures and ordered the lanes reopened.

Foye said Thursday he took action because he “didn’t want someone dying in the back of an ambulance.”